26/11 handler Abu Jundal's police custody extended till August 13

A Mumbai metropolitan court Tuesday extended till Aug 13 the police custody of Abu Jundal, a key suspect in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

Seeking Jundal's custody, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjawal Nikam said that the Mumbai police Crime Branch wanted to match his DNA samples with those collected from a boat that launched the perpetrators on Mumbai shores.

Thirty-year-old Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal is accused of participating in the Nov 26-29, 2008 attack's conspiracy allegedly hatched in Pakistan. He is believed to have issued directions to the terrorists holed up at Nariman House during the attacks.

Nikam also told the court that Jundal had created e-mail IDs in fictitious names and police wanted to retrieve those with his help as he alone knew the passwords.

Describing Jundal as one of the key members in the Lashkar-e-Taiba who taught Hindi to the 26/11 terrorists, Nikam said he gave them instructions from a control room in Karachi during the attacks.

The 26/11 handler was also required in other cases in Maharashtra including the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case, the 2010 German Bakery blast in Pune and an alleged plot to attack Nashik Police Academy.

On July 21, Jundal was taken to Mumbai after a Delhi court handed over his custody to police here for his alleged role in the Mumbai terror attack.